Houma: Culture, History and Nature

Houma offers a range of options for a trip: museums and historic sites explore the region’s culture and history, while trails and wetlands provide a connection to nature. When planning your trip, it may be helpful to decide first which of these themes matter most to you.

Culture and History in Houma

The Regional Military Museum preserves the memory of local heroes who served throughout American history. It features stories of local veterans and authentic military vehicles. During tours, volunteer guides who are veterans themselves share firsthand accounts of their service. The museum therefore focuses on both personal experiences and vehicles.

The Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum celebrates the industries and traditions that together shape the region’s culture. A monument to Le Grand Dérangement, also known as “The Great Upheaval,” commemorates the expulsion of the Acadian people from their homeland in Canada. It was erected on October 11, 2011. The facility also includes the Bayouside Gallery, a rotating art exhibition space. The Terrebonne Folklife & Culture Center, for its part, celebrates the Cajun and Creole heritage of Houma and the surrounding Bayou region.

Southdown Plantation offers insight into Louisiana’s sugarcane history and plantation life. The Southdown Plantation house was built in 1858. This site thus brings together a specific construction date and a broader historical context.

Bayou Terrebonne Distillers also connects a local focus with a historical story: The distillery is authentically Cajun, and its story begins during Prohibition on the banks of Bayou Terrebonne.

Trails and Wetlands Around Houma

The Southdown Trail System at 800 Valhi Boulevard in Houma is a network of trails through nearby wooded areas. Close to Houma, about five miles to the southwest, Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge covers 4,212 acres. Its landscape includes freshwater marshes, cypress-tupelo swamps, and man-made canals. Fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, boating, and hunting are possible there.

Close to Houma, the Mandalay Nature Trail runs three-quarters of a mile to an elevated boardwalk and ends at an observation platform overlooking the wetlands. The Southdown Trail System and the Mandalay Nature Trail therefore also differ in their stated locations: one is at an address in Houma, while the other is described as being in the surrounding area.

Annie Miller’s Sons Marsh and Swamp Tours in Houma takes visitors through lush marshland and winding waterways. Check tour availability before your trip.

The Wetlands Event Center in Houma is an outdoor learning center that offers field trips for students in grades K–6. Because arrangements for these field trips may change, check them in advance when planning a relevant trip.

Whether you would rather focus your stay on regional history or on wetlands and trails, the places listed here offer different thematic and geographic points of interest. This distinction can help you tailor your trip planning and hotel search in Houma to your interests.

Discover more destinations: Gray.

Go to the main travel overview: Terrebonne Parish.